


A Cage of Brick and Mortar.

by banorawhites



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst, F/M, domestic abuse, im just in my feels abt shera rn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banorawhites/pseuds/banorawhites
Summary: She wants to believe she can fix him, she really does.
Relationships: Cid Highwind/Shera
Kudos: 4





	A Cage of Brick and Mortar.

She wants to believe she can fix him, she really does. A tender hand, some companionship, someone looking after him-

Every day when Cid comes back from moping and tinkering in the rocket the house is clean, food is ready on the table and the tools left scattered around the Tiny Bronco are back in the toolbox, which is back in the shed. The ashtray has been emptied and the bottles have been cleared. The hole in the wall has been repaired. There was nothing to suggest that they were anything other than a perfectly normal couple until Cid came home.

“Goddammit, woman, how many times have I told you-“

Shera zones out after that. No matter what she’s done for him, it’ll never be perfect. There will always be some glaring flaw with what she’s done, no matter how hard she’s worked. She forgot to clean a tiny part of the house that she was convinced she had done yesterday, he wasn’t in the mood to eat whatever she'd cooked or she’s jumbled up his tools in the toolbox, and it's going to take ages to sort them back out. 

She just wished he’d call her Shera again.

It didn’t have to be any of the pet names they’d used when they were dating, although she missed that too. Just something other than “woman” or “bitch.” It was like she was no longer a human, his girlfriend of years now. He ignored her unless it was to yell at her for something new.

They eat in relative silence, the only real sounds being cutlery clinking and Cid opening a beer after downing the one Shera had already poured him. Once Cid has finished eating, he’ll grab another and leave to work on the Tiny Bronco. Shera will wash up and then watch from the relative safety of the living room. Maybe she’ll read, or she’ll paint over the hole she filled earlier. She’ll consider repainting the whole house, just for a change and something to do, but she knows Cid would find a way to turn it against her. Ruining his house, or something along those lines. 

She’s tried for ages to get him to understand that she was only trying to help him. The last thing she wanted was for the mission to fail. Shera had been perfectly happy to risk her life for him, she’d told him that. It was Cid who aborted the launch and yet in his mind, that meant it was all her fault. She’d ripped his dream from him and shredded it to pieces, or so he said. 

Where Cid’s stubbornness and determination had once been endearing, now Shera wishes he was anything but. Nothing got through that thick skull anymore. He had completely shut himself off from everyone and refused to listen to anyone, even to her. He was determined to suffer on his own with Shera as his punching bag, it seemed. That's what she was. She wasn't a girlfriend, a housemate, or even a person. Just someone to vent his frustrations on. He'd never raised a hand to her yet. Shera wondered if that would be the final straw or if she would continue her seemingly endless crusade to restore the Cid long gone now.

Shera sighed. Cid did enough sulking for the both of them. She could at least try and keep a happy face on. But not too happy- if she ever looked too happy he would accuse her of doing it on purpose just to antagonise him.

She stands by the window watching him until the sun begins to dip behind the Nibel mountains in the distance. He won’t come inside for a while, sitting and smoking and cursing to high heaven. She’ll be lucky if he comes in before midnight. She tries not to bother him in the evening. He's always cranky when he's tired, as if he wasn't cranky all the time.

Quietly, she makes her way to the guest bedroom, changing out of her work clothes and into a nightie. They don’t sleep together anymore. Despite never officially breaking up, Shera can tell when she’s not wanted. 

She's never felt so isolated before. Cid's presence takes up the entire house and leaves her no room to breathe. He's everywhere, and it's like he doesn't even notice her unless she gets in the way.

She falls asleep to the sound of clanking tools and hopes that tomorrow, things will be better.

**Author's Note:**

> don't get it twisted cid is my favourite character but that doesn't mean he's not a complete asshole


End file.
